Apple’s All-Glass iPhone 8 Is Already Being Crafted in Israel

The release of the iPhone 7 has come and passed, and although the device has been selling well – very well, in fact – some argue that the release has been a disappointment. The waterproofing of the device is long overdue, and while the cameras are impressive, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus lack a defining new design change or feature that many come to expect with major iPhone releases. Before the official release, noted KGI Securities analyst and Apple Nostradamus Ming-Chi Kuo even went on record saying that the iPhone 7 will lack “many attractive selling points” for customers.

Before the release of the iPhone 7, however, buzz was already circulating on the web about the 2017 iPhone. Rumors dating back to May claim that 2017’s iPhone will be a monumental release for Apple, with such a dramatic redesign that the company will skip the iPhone 7s altogether, naming the next iteration of the iPhone the “iPhone 8”. Several rumors, including those put forth by Kuo himself, indicate that the iPhone 8 will feature an all-glass, bezel-free enclosure with a Touch ID sensor and FaceTime camera embedded under the OLED display. Other oft-rumored features, such as the inclusion of wireless charging, are also being tossed about in the rumor mill.

A recent report by Business Insider works to confirm the name of 2017’s iPhone. According to the report, Apple employees at an office in Herzliya, Isreal, are hard at work developing hardware for the next generation iPhone. The report states that employees within the office are already referring to the device as the iPhone 8. “Speaking to Business Insider outside Apple’s Herzliya office at Maskit Street 12, the Apple employee said staff in Israel are working on what’s coming ‘next’ in Apple’s product line, giving a specific mention to ‘iPhone 8’.” According to the report, the worker, whose identity is being concealed, used the term ‘iPhone 8’ without any prompting by the interviewer. Aside from the naming convention, the employee refused to divulge any specific details, other than the face that the next generation device would contain an upgraded camera and would be ‘different’ from the iPhone 6s and iPhone 7.

If Apple is indeed skipping the iPhone 7s device, it would stand to reason that a completely redesigned iPhone 8 release for 2017 certainly isn’t out of the question. Next year’s release will also fall on the 10-year anniversary of the debut of the original iPhone – it wouldn’t be surprising if Apple had something special in store for all of their customers to commemorate the occasion. With the iPhone 7 release just behind us, however, we’re a bit early in the rumor cycle for predictions. Let’s just hope this one is true.